A blog about the things I love, written by a hopeful romantic.

What IS Burning Man?

I fell hard, madly in-love today with this beautiful playa image by Peter Ruprecht, taken at Burning Man a few years ago. Okay, instantly it was the wedding planner in me and then the hopeless romantic girlie kicked in a little…and I’M GOING! I want a cutie pic of me and my partner in crime, capturing that we are over the moon about each other and feeling happy and free.

We leave for the playa on Monday and I just read this great article entitled “The Misconceptions of Burning Man,” by Mary Polizzotti of 7×7 Magazine this week which resonated with me because I’ve been sharing where my “vacation” is with my work peeps and others and while most people here know what Burning Man is I think there are many misconceptions.

Of course every experience is what you make it but the essence of Burning Man is: “once a year, tens of thousands of participants gather in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert to create Black Rock City, dedicated to community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance. They depart one week later, having left no trace whatsoever.” And, as Mary points out in her article it’s a week of no technology, people of all ages, surviving the elements…

I cannot wait to be a citizen of Black Rock City this year, where we will be the only living creatures for miles and the sky is a big, beautiful desert sky that makes you feel small. Where we get back to the basics of love and giving thanks and freedom of expression is encouraged and appreciated.

There is something magical about a city of love appearing out of nothing – and then vanishing a week later, like it was never there.